[mike31154]

I've been on the fence for buying a DSLR. Used to be a little more interested in photography back in the 'film' days so I have some background knowledge regarding focus, field of view, shutter settings, etc. Many moons ago I inherited an old Agfa from my dad which had some really cool extra lenses and took very good pictures even though it wasn't an SLR. A lot more care & planning generally went into each shot since you were paying not only for film, but also development. That has since gone to a collector who I'm sure is taking good care of it.

I now have a couple of P&S jobs, already dated by today's standards. The newer one has a macro setting on the dial but it's still a challenge to get a decent close up shot of anything inside my tank. The glass seems to play havoc with the auto focus and shutter speed settings. It's also too slow to capture any kind of movement, so many of my photos are blurry. I really think this is where a DSLR can shine if you take a little time to get to know it and have the proper lens. On the other hand, a submersible P&S may work very well also, since you're not trying to focus on the subject through the glass, but I have no experience with submersible cameras, so I'm just ruminating.

I reckon if you're going to shell out the bucks for a DSLR, there will be some incentive to learn how to use it. If you do find it might become a dust collector, put up for sale online and I might take it off your hands....

One more thing. A friend of mine has both DSLR and P&S which he brings on the backcountry ski trips we go on. The P&S sees much more use than the DSLR on these trips due to ease of use, compact size. Needless to say, when you're out in the boonies & it's cold, it's a lot easier to pull out the P&S and click away. But when Glenn does pull out the DSLR, the results have no comparison with any of the P&S shots. We had a professional photographer on one of our trips and she climbed & skied all day with a DSLR hanging around her neck, very impressive, but that's what she does for a living. Another ski buddy still brings along an SLR film camera. Anyhow, these are somewhat extreme conditions and I still think that if you want great macro shots of your livestock, a DSLR with macro lens is the way to go. Learn how to use it and you will be rewarded.